Cygnus had gone out for the night – to one of those too-rare meetings with the man who called himself the Dark Lord – and he had left his wife and daughters in the care of Abraxas Malfoy.

Druella did not know how her husband could be so obtuse as to continue to trust Abraxas so implicitly. Did he not see, when he left Abraxas with Druella, how the two of them looked at each other? Did he not realize that the instant he had shut the door, and Andromeda and Bellatrix were ushered up to bed, that Druella threw herself into Abraxas's arms – the only place she felt good and safe and loved?

No, of course Cygnus saw none of that. He saw nothing at all when it came to his wife.

That was why she loved Abraxas so.

If, Druella thought while she waved goodbye to Cygnus, Abraxas on her arm with an innocently broad smile, she had been married to Abraxas – and pregnant, no less – she remembered, resting her hand upon her belly, just starting to swell beneath her corset… if she had been married to Abraxas and had an affair like this under his nose – not that she would have – he would have noticed.

Cygnus noticed nothing.

No sooner had he gone than Abraxas leaned forward and caught Druella's lips with his, tangling his fingers in her hair. She made a soft moaning sound and pressed back on his chest.

"No, no… not yet… the girls…" she murmured, though she would have liked nothing better than to tumble down into bed with Abraxas and make love to him until dawn.

"Of course…" He stole another quick kiss, then pulled back. "Put them to bed."

Druella's mind was hazy while she ushered both her daughters into their beds. Bellatrix glared suspiciously at her mother, but went without question, and Andromeda was already near asleep when Druella tucked her in. As soon as the doors were shut, Druella rushed back downstairs and embraced Abraxas tightly.

"Are you all right, love?" he whispered in her ear, his hands pressing against her back. "How are you? How is the baby…?" he added, voice low when he brushed against the oh-so-slight swelling in her middle.

"I'm– I'm–" Druella began, but she could not speak. Her throat tightened, and she buried her face in his shirt. "Oh, Abraxas!"

"My sweet little Dru…" His breath caught and he let out a small sigh as Druella's hands traced over his chest. "Oh… my Druella…"

"I love you," she whispered, swallowing back tears. "I wish I could have married you… Cygnus is horrible…"

"Does he hurt you?" he asked, stilling her hands. "Has he ever laid a hand on you? Because I swear to god, if he beats you…"

"No, no," Druella soothed. She put her hand on Abraxas's cheek, smoothing her thumb tenderly over his skin. "He would never hurt me… not really… at least, he wouldn't mean to. But I don't love him. I hate him."

"I know, Druella, I understand…" He pressed his hand over hers, then kissed her gently, his lips warm and firm against hers. His hand rested on the small of her back, pulling them together. "I love you, my little girl…"

Druella looked up at him through her eyelashes, slowly sliding her fingers down his chest. "Shall we go to my bedroom?" she breathed. "So the girls won't hear us…"

Abraxas needed no further encouragement. He swept her off her feet, into his arms, and carried her up the sweeping staircase. Druella draped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, feeling a rush of pure happiness. In Abraxas's arms, she was the giddy bride she had always dreamed of being.

He lay her down upon her and Cygnus's bed, closing the door behind him, and Druella fluttered her eyelashes seductively. He knelt upon the bed before her, undoing the tiny buttons of her dress with almost reverentially delicate precision.

Druella had often found herself bitter that she wore so many layers – corsets and petticoats and more – but there was something pleasant about the anticipation of having her clothing so delicately removed. Cygnus would never have taken the time to do this – he would have ordered Druella to strip off her own clothing and waited impatiently for her to do it.

"Oh… Abraxas…" Druella whispered, tipping her head back when he undid her corset, allowing her breasts to spill free. She drew in a deep breath, then looked at him with a coquettish little smirk.

Abraxas was already undoing his own robes, shrugging out of them and letting Druella run her hands over his body. She caressed him, then knotted her fingers in his too-long, pale hair and kissed him, letting him lay atop her.

"Dru, my Dru…" he moaned softly. Her slim thighs, just starting to swell, wrapped around his waist, pulling him close, and she sank down into the pillows.

"I want you so much…" she whispered, hardly daring to speak the words out loud. For a girl who had grown up in the Black family, taught that all desires of the flesh were sinful, saying this felt deliciously taboo. "I want you… inside me," she added, blushing bright red.

Druella lay in her lover's arms, her head upon his chest and a smile on her lips. He was stroking her hair gently, and she had never felt so warm and comfortable and in love as she did that moment.

She wished she could stop the world, freeze time forever so that she would never have to leave the bed.

But she couldn't. Cygnus would be back tomorrow, and Druella would have to force her perfect Pureblood wife smile, and pretend that she loved her husband dearly, and not let anyone know that she thought of Abraxas when Cygnus touched her.

)O(

Fin

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